Process for improving the tone or timbre of musical instruments.



M. G. GRAHAM. PROCESS FOR IMPROVING THE TONE OB TIMBRE 0F MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEG. 28, 1908.

Patented Aug.2,1910.

Miles (fi- Cirakarw,

Izzuezz to 2*,

dizoz'ney fzfnesses.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILES G. GRAHAM, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

PROCESS FOR IMPROVING THE TUNE OR TIMBRE OF MUSICAL INSTIEUMENTS.

Application filed December 28, 1908. Serial No. 469,537.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILES G. 'GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes for Improving the Tone or Timbre of Musical Instruments, fication.

My invention relates to a process for add ing to or impregnating the air contained within or passing through musical instruments or sound producing or reproducing devices with a non-aqueous vapor or gas, by which the air is resonated and the emitted sounds are amplified, purified or enriched in tone and timbre. I preferably produce this, result by the evaporation within the instrument of a readily vaporizable solution, whereby gaseous or other molecules are libof which the following is a specierated and coinmingled with the air both,

Within and immediately outside of the instrument. It is found in practice that the sound waves passing through this modified or impregnated air produce on the car an enriched, mellowed and more pleasing effect than those emitted from the same instrument under normal conditions, the improvement probably arising, in part at least, from a mingling and harmonizing of the produced overtones. After long experiment, I have found the best vaporizable'material to consist of an alcoholic solution of resinous gums or oils, which may be perfumed as desired without detriment. I have had excellent results from a mixture composed as follows:

Alcohol 97% Balsam fir 1% Balsam tolu 1% Hemlock-spruce oil 1% r 100% with a slight addition of oil of rose and tincture of musk as a perfume. The proportions of the less volatile bodies may be considerably increased, or other resinous or like soluble materials may be substituted in whole or part for these, or a different nonaqueous solvent employed, without departing from my invention considered in 11S broadest sense. By the term musical 1nstrument herein used, I include sound resonating devices, as phonograph horns, megaphones and the like. I U

For the purposes of my invent on, muslcal Specification of I.etters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

instruments may bedivided into two classes; static, as percussion instruments and the like, where the vibrating air is practically confined within the casing of the instrument; and dynamic, as wind instruments, where continuous or pulsating air currents pass through the instrument. ,I will therefore illustrate and describe various forms of devices adapted to secure the results of my invention in typical instruments of each of these classes, it being of course understood that other suitable devices, within the constructive skill of the mechanic, may be employed, either in these instruments or in others not shown or mentioned.

In the drawings, Figure l is av side elevation and Fig. 2, a vertical section on an enlarged scale on the plane 22, Fig. 1, of a phonograph horn provided with one form of my device; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a liquid, container which is adapted to use in pianos and like instruments; Fig. t is a vertical transverse section of a violin body with two of my devices secured therein; Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the devices of Fig. 4: detached; Fig. 6 is a vertical section of an organ wind chest and bellows provided with .my device; Fig. 7 shows a form of my device applied to a piece of tubing which may form a part of any brass instrument, as a horn, cornet, tuba or the like.

The phonograph horn shown' in Figs. 1 and 2 is, except for the device of the present invention, like that shown in my pending application for U. S. patent, filed Nov. 24th, 1908, which has receivedSerial Number 164,203. It consists in part of a tube 11 in two parallel coils convenientlyheld tov gether by bands 12, on the uppermost of which is secured a nipple 13, from which small tubes 14 lead to the interior of each of the coils, see Fig. 2. The nipple is provided with a cock-plug 15 and is threaded at its upper end to engage with a coupling 16 in which is cemented a container 17, preferably of transparent material,as glass, and having an aperture at its top closed by a stopper 18. The vessel 17 may be provided with transverse ribs 19 or other marks, forming a series of graduations for indicating the volume of liquid delivered at any given time.

As shown in Fig. 1, the phonograplh and novel horn are mounted on a stand 20 avin legs or supports 21 spaced apart from eaefi ($118136!) that the lower part of the coiled with the usual g-holes s2.

tube passes between them. I preferably arrange at a little distance below the coil 1], a shelf 22 or like means for holdin means for heating the lower part of thecoiishown as an ordinary hot-water bag 23.

The operation ofihe device is ,as follows:

The cock 15 being closed, the containerfl is filled with a suitable Volatile liquidadapted' to produce the desired'results' already clescribed a'nd the'stopperl8 replaced. 5 When it, is desired to use the phonograph for re producing any selection, the cool: 15 is momentarily opened to permit the flow of a s1na1l amount of the-liquid, measured by the graduations 19, into the coils 11.; The liquid.

immediately begins to evaporate, and the vapor or gas thus produced impregnates the air within the horn, greatly improving the tone or timbre 01" the emitted sounds. In a very cold room, or when 1t 18 desired to produce an. immediate striking efieet, evapora tion may be'accelerated by the-use oi'the.

hot-water bag 23, or by any other suitable means.

As a means of impregnating the vibrating air in a piano or similar instrument of the static type, I provide devices'shown in Fig.8 of the drawings, which may be placed within the closed case of the instrument.- As shown, it consists of a container cup 31 filled with a messof absorbent material, shown as a block of charcoal 32, although cotton, sponge or the like may be used, which serves to retain the volatile liquid The cup 31 may be threaded as shown for engagement with a cover, not.

shown, which is removed when the instru-., ment is being played. The cup maybe pro vided with a circumferential rib 33, for supporting it in the mouth of a vessel'34, which may be filled with hot water or sand to promote vaporization, as explained above. Gne

or more of these previously filled cups 31, ordinarily without the heating device, areabsorbent block 46, which may be of= charcoal, for retaining the volatile liquid. It will be seen that the clip and the block are so shaped as to be readily passed downward through the S-hole 42' and then moved laterally so as to engage the jaw 44 with the belly 41, see Fig. 4:. The block 46, when dry,- is

one or, more of the sheet metal, I

readily removed for refilling, which may be done by merely dipping it in the liquid for afew moments. It is obvious that, as before, the evaporation of the liquid will impregnate the air in the violin, with the desired result. It is also clear that in any instrument of the statio'type, like those so far described, the contained air may be im-. pregnated by other means. Thus, the liquid nlay be sprayed into the horn, 'piano, violin perfume atomizer, which is too well known to require illustration, I

To impre ate the air in an instrument of the second, ynamic, class, w'lieret'he vibrate the instrument, it is necessary to provide for a continuous supply of the vapor or gas.

organ, rom which tubes, one of which is shown at 62, pass to thedifi'erent reeds or pipes, as the case may be. The upperboard 63' of the chamber is formed with an open removing a container 31, such as is shown in Fig. 3, and of any desired capacity. The cup 31 may be held in position by cleats 66 on the bottom board 67 of the chamber. Beneath the chest or chamber 61 is a bellows the chest 61, so that the air forced there- '31. The vigorous movement of the air from the nozzle 69 will actto rapidly volatilize the liquid in. theeontainer 31, so that all the air supplied to the or an reeds or pipes will be impregnated as hetore.desoribed. It will be clear. without further illustration that the. heating vessel 3% may be here used with the container '31 topromote evaporation.

Referring to Fig. 7 of the drawings, 71 is a part of a-tube forming a portion of any brass wind instrument, preferably located near the mouthpiece. On its upper side it has a threaded nipple 72 for engaging with 74, having a small aperture 75 at its lower ,end and a threaded opening 76 at its upper end, closed by a flange-headed stopper 77. il1rough the upper wall of thecontainer 74:

mg down the stopper 77. When a musician plays upon the instrument, h e slightly-"uhscrews' the stopper 77, thus permittin air to enter the duct 78, when the liqui will issue, drop by drop, from the aperture 75 and fall into the tube 71, the frequency of the drops being regulated by the stopper T7. The resonating liquid will of course be assisted in its volatilization by the strong air current passing through the tube 71, and the tone or timbre of the instrument will be improved by the vapor thus produced.

or other instrument by means or an ordinary.

ing 6%, closed by a slide 65, for inserting and.

1 am aware that it hasheretofore beenpropoeed to form a vibrating portion of a" ing air passes through and is emitted from v In Fi 6, 61 is'the-wind chamber of an" 68, the nozzle of which is bent at 69 within a co-acting nipple 73 on a liquid container through passes directly over the container is pierced an an duct 78, closable by screwmusical instrument with a container for a mass of water. .my invention, as neither quantity, nor the quality, of the vapor thus accidentally produced would serve to reso-v nate or modify the emitted sound waves in the advantageous manner above described.

As I .have already suggested, the process of impregnating the am contained in or passing through a musical instrument "with a vapor or gas distinct therefrom, which process forms the subject of my invention, is quite independent of any means for producing such vapor or gas by volatilization. I do,not therefore limit my as set forth in the claims.

What I claim is: v

1. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre'of a musical instrument by impregnating'the air therein with a nonaqueous vapor or gas.

2. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein with a. nonaqueous vapor or as produced by the evaporation of a volati e substance.

3. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein with a nonaqueous vapor or gas produced by the continuous evaporation of a volatile substance.

4. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein, with a va or or gasproduced by the evaporation o a volatile non-aqueous solution of vegetable products."

5. The art or tone the insigni cant process of improving the or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein with a Vapor.

or gas produced by the evaporation of a volatile non-aqueous solution "of resinous materials.

This is entirely forei n to,

invention except assisting t 6. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein with a vapor or gas produced by the evaporation of an alcoholic solution of resinous or like materials.

7. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein with a vapor pr gas produced from a volatile non-aqueous 1qu1 8. The art 1 or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein with a vapor or gas produced from a continuously supplied volatile non-aqueous liquid.

9. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the airtherein with a vapor or gas prod plied alcoholic solutionof vegetable pro ucts.

10. The art or process of improving the tone or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating the air therein with a vapor or gas produced from a continuously supplied alcoholic solution of resinous orlike materials. I I

11. The art or process of improving the tone 'or timbre of a musical instrument by impregnating theair therein with a va or or gas produced 'from an alcoholic solution of balsam fir, balsam tolu and hemlockspruce oil. Q

12. The art or tone] or timbre which consists thereof a process of improving the in supplying to the interior uantity of volatile material and e evaporation thereof by artificial heat.

MILES G. GRAHAM. Witnesses:

Gno. L. COOPER, CHARLES SELKIIRK.

need from a continuously sug f of a musical instrument, 

